One of my favorite movies is Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.
In the beginning of the movie, the young cadets are attempting a test called The Kobayashi Maru.
It’s a flight simulation exercise that is supposed to test the cadet’s character. The mission is to save a civilian vessel called…Kobayashi Maru…from the clutches of the evil Klingons (the enemy).
It’s in the Klingon Neutral Zone though and entering it causes an interstellar incident. The cadets have to decide whether to try a rescue mission or leave the civilians to die.
And therein lies the problem: If the cadet chooses to try a rescue mission, the simulation is designed to guarantee that their ship is destroyed and every crew member dies.
If they let the civilians die, they fail to complete their mission.
It’s a no-win scenario…
…just like a lot of business financial plans using conventional financial planning.
These “Kobayashi Maru financial plans” are designed for you to “show up and retire,” but without a key ingredient – the defined benefit plan – they don’t work. They can’t work as advertised. And, Even if you plan to turn your business into a de facto retirement plan (so you don’t have to really retire), you still need a way to annuitize the income you get from it or guarantee its survival so you never run out of money.
This was (also) the job of a defined benefit plan.
It still sometimes amazes me how so many financial gooruse have fooled themselves into believing they know more than they actually do. For example, the presumption that they can predict future stock market growth or… life events that will negatively affect a client’s savings, or… raises or… unemployment, or… interest rates, or… any number of other factors that disrupt an individual’s financial plan.
Defined Benefit Plans
Defined benefit plans sort of solved a lot of these problems. But, defined benefit plans don’t really exist anymore. They’re a relic of the ’60s.
But… there is a way to use life insurance to sort of reinvigorate the relic of the past and completely solve a lot of the investing problems people face today. If you want to know more about how it all works, join my email list and start with the 7 unbeatable advantages for making better financial decisions.
